


Jedikiller

by lannisterslioness



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Death, F/M, Gray Jedi, Jedi Rey, Moral Dilemmas, Old Characters return, Possible mentions of Dark Side Rey, Post-First Order, Pregnancy, Rey Solo, Senator Poe Dameron, Sith, The Dark Side of the Force, The Sith return
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-08
Updated: 2017-10-15
Packaged: 2019-01-10 22:36:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12309285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lannisterslioness/pseuds/lannisterslioness
Summary: PEACE has returned to the galaxy after a long and hard fought battle against The First Order. Many were lost along the way, but many were gained as well, including the return of Luke Skywalker and redemption of Ben Solo. Those strong with the Force are being trained in the ways of the Gray Jedi and ushered into the galaxy under the wisdom of Luke himself, along with his apprentice - Rey - while the galaxy's future has never looked brighter.However, when other Force users around the galaxy begin to go missing and are found either dead or disconnected from the Force, it is undeniable that a new darkness is growing.Despite wanting to charge into action again, things have changed for Rey; including the fact of that she is about to be a mother and is married to the newest Senator in the Republic - Poe Dameron. Knowing the galaxy and new order of Jedi need her, Rey will risk everything to end the darkness threatening her family once and for all. But just how much is Rey willing to lose in order to end the return of the Sith?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> a/n: HI! It's been so long, it feels like years even though it's only been months! You might have seen me mention this once or twice over on tumblr that I was working on writing something, and this is what it was! It's been over a month in progress between school and work taking over my life, but I can feel the hype for TLJ building and this is what I got. The chapters will probably be pretty long like this one since I won't get to update as often as I like, but I'll try to keep it regular from here on out, maybe once a week or every other week? We'll see how my life scheduling goes! I hope you guys enjoy this passion project of mine, I'm having fun with it, and comments will always give me fuel to keep on going <3

    Rey hated Coruscant.

 

    It was people on top of people at all times, it made her feel like she was constantly being smothered, even if she was in a spacious place. Just knowing there were more people on this planet than she had ever met in her life made her throat tighten just a bit at the thought of it. Despite all of this, she found herself on this planet more often than the quiet home she and Poe had built together. Poe was a Senator now, which meant he spent far more time on densely populated planets locked in Senate meetings then flying or at home. She missed him at home by herself, but when she found out she was pregnant. The need to be near him as much as she possibly could only grow, though she wasn’t sure if that was just hormones or her fear of being alone while dealing with something so foreign to her.

 

    They had an apartment during their time here, too large for Rey’s liking really, it left her feeling so vulnerable, despite all the guards and her apprentice who she was training in the ways of the Gray Jedi - Jade - being there around the clock. She didn’t feel she needed the protection, she could handle herself as she had for years before she met anyone else off of Jakku, but Poe had perhaps become even more protective of her than he already was when they first met. Being a Senator meant Poe could do great things for the galaxy, but it also put a target on his back, and she would be in the line of fire; so the guards stayed if only to keep anymore stress from taking over Poe.

 

    “You’re late,” Rey said, keeping her gaze fixated on the setting sun through the large windows of the apartment.

 

    They’d been together for almost four years now and Rey could tell whenever Poe walked into a room because of it, even when he was trying to sneak up on her - she knew.

 

    “I know,” Poe said with a sigh, “I got held up in a meeting.”

 

    “You’re always in a meeting anymore, I feel like I have to make an appointment with you just to see you for five minutes,” Rey said.

 

    She turned her attention away from the sunset and towards Poe. Rey hadn’t seen him in what felt like days, though she felt him crawl into bed at night and wrap his arms around her for the few hours of sleep he could get, leaving sometimes before she was even able to open her eyes. He had a five o’clock shadow and dark circles under his eyes, the Senate had been in discussions for the past two days, about what Rey didn’t know since Poe couldn’t tell her until all was said and done.

 

    “Well, I’ll have you know you’ve got me all to yourself tomorrow. We’re still in a stalemate and the council thought it’d be best if everyone took a day to themselves to think about it and get out of this deadlock,” Poe said.

 

    With that, he sat down beside her, wrapping an arm around her waist to pull her close and press a light kiss to her forehead. Poe rested a hand on Rey’s pregnant belly bump; she was six months into it and finally starting to show some signs of actually being pregnant. She’d been worried at first, especially after seeing how big Rose’s belly had gotten while she was pregnant with hers and Finn’s first child two years ago. Naturally, Poe had worried and had nearly every doctor on Coruscant check her just to tell her that it was natural between being someone of her stature and the life she lived on Jakku for nineteen years before finally leaving.

 

    “If I see you so much as glance at a datapad tomorrow, I’m throwing that thing off the balcony,” Rey said with a laugh, “You’re not working at all tomorrow in any way.”

 

    “I won’t, I promise,” Poe said.

 

    “Mhmm.”

 

    “Let’s think about dinner or something, what are you craving?” Poe asked.

  


* * *

 

  


    The break in the discussions helped no one, Poe still had his mind made up, as did the other members of the Senate. Truth be told, even if Poe wasn’t married to Rey or having a child with her, he still would have made the same choice. All strong with the Force should not be punished for the actions of one person, and even what they were proposing was far too extreme of an action to take against any one person. If Rey wasn’t pregnant and able to be so easily dismissed by the Senate as “emotionally compromised”, he would have had her sit in these discussions with him in a heartbeat, having experienced both sides of the Force, but Luke Skywalker himself was just as wise of a choice, having lived through so much more.

 

    “What you’re proposing is an extremist act,” Luke said, standing tall before everyone whose attention was locked onto him, “trying to control and confine the Force is not only impossible but suggests that you want to keep those strong with the Force under lock and key like prisoners, just because of how they were born.”

 

    Senator Prost Maverick watched Luke with a steady glare, the older man’s cold blue gaze showing he was already thinking of a rebuttal. Just like many proposing the idea of controlling Jedi and other Force users, he’d seen only the dark side of the Force and what someone strong with it could take away. The scar on his face and burns on his neck remnants of the Empire’s reign that took his parents, and the deaths of his family he built the remnants of the First Order.

 

    “Your family is the perfect example of what can happen to those strong with the Force. Your father and nephew being the pillars of what can happen to someone corrupted by the dark side. You and your sister happened to be the exceptions, and from what we’ve been able to tell, your daughter as well,” Maverick said, “but who is to say that the others out there will follow in your footsteps? What happens when someone just as powerful as you Skywalkers turns to the dark side and wants to destroy everything in the galaxy? Your father destroyed a planet, your nephew a system!”

 

    “The actions of both my father and nephew are unforgivable, yes. Nothing can ever undo the damage that has been done or bring back the lives of those lost, but they were their _own_ actions,” Luke said, “my father died fighting against the Emperor with me, and my nephew is answering for his crimes against the galaxy as you have seen fit, but their actions do not define every person who uses the Force.”

 

    “You claim your father helped you, no one alive today save for you are alive to witness and attest to this, and as for your nephew, if it were up to me he would be dying a slow and painful death instead of rotting in a fortified cell, but we are civilized people after all,” Maverick said.

 

    “Senator Maverick, there’s nothing that can be done about the past. Both Anakin Skywalker and Ben Solo have answered for their crimes and nothing else can be done about that,” Poe said, cutting into the conversation and getting to his feet, “but we’re here to talk about the future of the galaxy and how we can handle things from here on out.”

 

    Maverick’s cold glare landed on him now, the man running a hand through his snow-white hair and taking a deep breath to calm himself. Many people were afraid of facing Maverick and his stubbornness, but not Poe, if Leia taught him anything, it was to stand for what you believed in.

 

    “If my time fighting the First Order taught me anything, Senator, it’s that only those who have the Force can control it, even then it’s difficult,” Poe said.

 

    “You’re right,” Maverick said, surprising most of the council, “the Force is uncontrollable, no one person can tame it, especially not someone like myself who doesn’t have even the slightest ounce of it in my veins. What we want is security for the entire galaxy, to prevent someone like Darth Vader or Kylo Ren rising again. Which is why we're disbanding your second attempt at Jedi before it even truly starts again.”

 

    “It's different this time, we’re not following the old ways that my father and nephew rose from-”

 

    “Which only makes your kind even more unpredictable than before,” Maverick snapped, cutting off Luke mid-sentence, “whoever you and your apprentice have under your care are to report to this council and surrender their weapons, your family included.”

 

    “Senator Maverick, the council hasn't reached an agreement yet, it’s a stalemate,” Poe said.

 

    “As of this morning it was no longer, there are more Senators against the Jedi than with them. This meeting was merely a formality, but I've grown tired of arguing, it's over,” Maverick said, a smug smile on his face, “I except you and your apprentice to set an example for your students by being the first to surrender those archaic weapons you wield, Skywalker.”

 

    With that, all the Senators rose to their feet and dispersed, murmurs filling the room as Senator Maverick and other fellow Senators dedicated to his cause and decision left with him. Poe felt a wave of dread settle in his gut, he knew this was wrong, all the Senators left knew it was wrong, but they were helpless to stop it.

 

    “This isn’t good,” Poe said under his breath.

 

    “No, it’s not,” Luke agreed with a sigh, “but if we want to keep this semblance of peace, it’s something we have to do.”

 

    “I’ll tell Rey, I’m used to the mood swings she’s been having lately,” Poe said, he knew the minute Rey heard about this she’d want to lash out at anyone in her path even though she didn’t mean any of it.

 

    He’d dealt with her like this many times even before she was pregnant, back when she wanted to tear the galaxy apart for taking so many people she loved away from her. For a while he thought he lost her back then, and there were times when he’d still see hints of that side of her emerge again, her rage turning into something dark, but she’d been good for a while - since the pregnancy happened at least. This though would surely set her off, and rightfully so, he just hoped he could keep her level-headed for now.

  


* * *

 

  


    “Do you think it’ll be a boy or a girl?” Jade asked.

 

    The girl was just a few years younger than Rey, though she lived a drastically different life before she wound up with her and Luke after the First Order was defeated. Daughter of a Senator who lived a soft and pampered childhood, never having to know what it was like to be hungry or be scared and alone. But Rey never envied her for all of that, at first perhaps she did, but she came to know Jade, taught her everything she knew and helped her learn to control the Force as best she could. But the delicate young girl still had much to learn with the callouses just starting to appear on her small pale hands, scars appearing in more numbers on her face, and sense of maturity finally setting in on her.

 

    “I’m not sure,” Rey said, watching her hands rest on her stomach, she couldn’t tell no matter how hard she tried to figure it out, especially after telling the doctors she wanted to find out for herself.

 

    “Would you want it to be one or the other more?” Jade asked, tucking a piece of her long blonde hair behind her ear, her green eyes filled with curiosity as she questioned her.

 

    “No, I just want it to be healthy,” Rey answered truthfully, it was all she ever wanted from the moment she found out she was pregnant.

 

    “My mom always wanted to have a boy after she had me, I think she was disappointed after she had my two sisters and couldn’t have any more kids,” Jade said.

 

    Before anything else could be said between the two, Poe entered the room and Rey got to her feet in a matter of seconds with a smile on her face. However, the smile quickly faded when she noticed Luke shortly behind him. No matter how hard she tried and after all, they’d been through together, Rey couldn’t help but continue to associate Luke with something bad happening, and from the grim look on both his and Poe’s faces, she knew it was nothing good.

 

    “What’s wrong?” Rey asked.

 

    Jade got to her feet as well, trying her best to stand at attention with Luke in the room, his reputation still preceding him no matter how many times Jade had met him face to face.

 

    “It’s nothing to worry about right now, I’ll tell you later when things settle down,” Poe said, letting a sigh escape.

 

    He seemed tired, more so than usual, and if it hadn’t been for Jade being there with a slightly fearful look on her face, Rey would have questioned him until he told her what was going on. Instead, she let it go, for now at least, and rested a hand on Jade’s shoulder, giving her a light squeeze before taking a seat back down on the sofa.

 

    “Luke, do you think you could take Jade for some meditation? I couldn’t focus earlier today,” Rey said.

 

    “Sure, I could use some peace and quiet myself,” Luke replied with a gruffness to his tone.

 

    Wordlessly, Jade followed Luke out of the room, and once the doors shut she could almost feel Poe tense up, knowing her questions were coming.

 

    “Do you want to sit? I haven’t seen you all day and you look like you’re about to fall over,” Rey said.

 

    Poe relaxed slightly, Rey felt terrible that he must have been bracing himself for her to pelt him with questions as to why Luke was there and what was going on. He made his way around the sofa before finally taking a seat beside her, Rey resting her head on his shoulder and drawing her lead as close to him as she possibly could, still trying to find a comfortable way to maneuver with her pregnant belly in the way half the time anymore.

 

    “What's going on?” She asked, keeping a gentle tone to her voice and feeling the exhaustion radiate off of him.

 

    “The Senate was in a stalemate for over a week discussing the future of how the Galaxy should handle people training with the Force, especially ones who have lightsabers like you and Luke,” Poe said with a sigh, “I called Luke in to make them see that not everyone who had the Force was dangerous, I didn't want to drag you into all of this.”

 

    “The way you two walked in here, I'm guessing the outcome wasn't good,” Rey said, mumbling her words into his jacket.

 

    “No, it wasn't,” Poe said, “this morning someone sided with the others and it gave Senator Maverick the authority to set forth his new rule of making everyone who is a practicing Jedi to turn over their lightsabers.”

 

    Rey felt a flash of anger run up her spine, but she kept it in check. Poe did everything he could while trying to keep her away from those stuffy Senators who knew nothing of the war other than it finally ended.

 

    “They think taking lightsabers will fix everything?” Rey asked.

 

    “I think they want to feel safer, and the lightsabers are the symbol of the Jedi, they want to feel some kind of control even though they could never control any of you,” Poe said, “they're afraid.”

 

    “Fear makes people do stupid things,” Rey said, speaking from her own experience of what fear of losing her friends and Poe made her do to keep them, “it's not a rational emotion.”

 

    “It's not, but I can understand why they want to do this, even though I don't agree with it,” Poe said.

 

    “What are they going to do?” Rey asked.

 

    She felt Poe tense up at this again in her embrace, and she knew whatever he was trying to avoid saying was not something she wanted to hear.

 

    “They want you and Luke to turn over your lightsabers first thing tomorrow morning, they already made Luke call in the others to start heading here tonight to turn over their lightsabers as well,” Poe said.

 

    The lightsaber wasn’t something Rey ever wanted at first, in fact, she wanted to be as far away from it as possible after her very first encounter with it so many years ago now it seemed. But she grew fond of it, trained with it, and it became a part of her just as much as it had once been a part of Anakin and Luke before her. At the end of the day, it was just a lightsaber, a symbol of something much greater than what it actually was. She’d learned how to pick her battles over the years, and she knew that this was not the battle to fight. Jedi were more than their weapons, and they’d continue to be Jedi without them.

 

    “Okay,” Rey said, finally speaking after a moment of silence.

 

    “You’re taking this better than I thought you would,” Poe said, looking over at her in slight confusion.

 

    “I’m just tired of fighting,” Rey said, “I just want to go home.”

 

    “We will, as soon as this is over with tomorrow we’re both going home and staying there until our little girl is born,” Poe said.

 

    Rey glared up at him, her brows scrunched together and a questioning look in her eye.

 

    “Or boy,” Poe added.

 

    “You want a girl, don’t you?” Rey asked with a slight smile.

 

    “More than anything in the galaxy,” Poe said with a grin, “but if we have a boy I’ll be just as happy.”

 

    “I want to go home, sleep in our bed, and eat Koyo melons until I’m sick of them,” Rey said, “I haven't had one in ages.”

 

    “You can have all the Koyo melons you want when we get home,” Poe said, “do you have everything packed up? I want to leave here as soon as this is done.”

 

    “I’ve been ready to leave for over a month,” Rey said, untangling herself from Poe and getting up slowly, “but I am going to miss the garden upstairs, so I’m going to go for one last walk.”

 

    “You want me to go with you?” Poe asked.

 

    If he knew where she was going, Rey knew he wouldn’t have ever asked that question in the first place.

 

    “No, it’s fine, I’ll probably try to meditate some while up there. I won’t be gone long,” she said.

 

    “Alright,” Poe said, getting up to his feet as well and pressing a kiss to her cheek, “love you.”

 

    “Love you too,” Rey replied, trying to push aside the feeling of guilt for not telling him where she was truly going.

  


* * *

 

  
  


    Years ago, Rey had called Ben a monster, and at the time he was one. He chased her across the galaxy and fought many battles against one another. Years ago, he wanted to kill her and she wanted to kill him, even after she discovered they were family. Towards the end rage fueled most of her actions, she was getting to be no better than him. After the First Order was defeated with Ben’s help, things became better between them, though nothing could truly ever be perfect given all they’d done to one another.

 

    The Senate kept Ben imprisoned, and though he probably could have used the Force to leave many times, he chose to stay to pay for what he’d done. Whenever Rey was on Coruscant, she made it a point to visit him once a week though their conversations were often tense. She would have come to see him to say she was leaving regardless, but now she needed to tell him what was about to happen.

 

    They kept him in restraints almost all the time, he looked more pale and gaunt than usual, Rey wouldn’t be surprised if they had been especially cruel since these discussions Poe had been a part of began. He looked up at her when he noticed her presence, his eyes especially dark and posture more hunched over than usual.

 

    “Ben,” Rey said curtly, standing on the other side of the glass.

 

    “Rey,” Ben replied, his tone weak and the dark circles under his eyes indicating little sleep.

 

    “Are you alright?” She asked.

 

    “Them? They’re nothing,” Ben said, catching on to what she was implicating, “it’s the nightmares, haven’t you gotten them too?”

 

    “No...should I?” Rey asked.

 

    Ben hesitated. “Maybe not.”

 

    He shifted in his seat, trying to move his hands only to be stopped by the restraints.

 

    “The role of a Senator’s wife suits you,” He commented.

 

    Rey usually opted out of wearing dresses, especially ones that were more on the gown side of things that had a train following behind her, but ever since she started to show more in her pregnancy, it was far easier to deal with.

 

    “I came here to say goodbye, I won’t be back for a few months probably,” Rey said.

 

    “Good luck then, you’ll need it,” Ben replied.

 

    “What’s that supposed to mean?” Rey asked, feeling her anger try to take control at the comment.

 

    “I heard about what the Senate was doing, they wouldn’t shut up about it down here. I think they thought it would bother me in some way,” Ben said, keeping his calm though she knew he could sense her anger. _‘You still have it though don’t you, hidden away somewhere?’_ His voice intruded into her thoughts.

 

     _‘They won’t find it, they still think it’s destroyed,’_ Rey replied.

 

     _‘It’s better off that way,’_ Ben said, “Does _Senator Dameron_ know you’re here?”

 

    The two never liked each other for obvious reasons, Poe for what Ben had done to him and the nightmares he still had to this day because of his torture; Ben for the simple reason of that he believed Leia had loved Poe more than she ever loved him, despite it being a lie.

 

    “No, if he knew I came here he wouldn’t have let me leave the room, especially now like this,” Rey rested her hands on her stomach.

 

    “I wouldn’t hurt you or her, I’ve hurt enough people for one lifetime,” Ben said.

 

    “...It’s a girl?” Rey asked, smiling as she looked down, she still didn’t know how others could sense it while she couldn’t.

 

    “I thought you knew,” Ben commented, “but yes. And it’s understandable, if things were different, I wouldn’t have let a family of mine get anywhere near someone like me either.”

 

    Solitude changed Ben, he had his moments as any other human being did, but he was different from who he used to be.

 

    “I-I should go,” Rey said, “Poe will start looking for me soon.”

 

    “Be safe,” Ben said.

 

    Rey hesitated, “You too...and may the force be with you.”

 

     


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> WITH the Senate’s new ruling to affect all Jedi, Rey and Luke Skywalker are among the first to turn over their lightsabers. As Poe and Rey set to return to their idyllic ranch home on Yavin 4, a new tragedy sets things back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a/n: so if i can keep up this rate of writing for once, i might be able to post new chapters of this once a week, probably on sundays like i've been doing so far since that's the quietest day for me by far to sit down and get things done. i hope you guys like this chapter and thanks for reading so far! <3

    There was something in the shadows, lurking and watching, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. It had no name nor face, it was darkness itself, a shadowy mist that drew all of the air out of the room and sent a chill down Rey’s spine. Her heart started to race as it drew closer, Rey keeping her hands on her stomach to protect her unborn child as best as she could, and suddenly the mist was all around her. It’s only focal point being two bright yellow eyes, staring into her own and stealing the scream from her throat before she could utter a sound.

 

    Rey bolted upright in bed, gasping for air and frantically looking around the bedroom, telling herself it wasn’t real. Her heart was still racing and sweat was beading on her forehead, her hands shaking as she grasped the blankets around her tighter. Poe stirred beside her with a groan, slowly rolling over and opening his eyes, once he registered that something wrong, he sat up slowly, putting his arms around her without a second thought. She didn’t know how many times he’d seen her like this since they were together, surely way too many for her liking, but no matter how volatile the vision was, Poe always calmed her down.

 

    “It’s okay, you’re okay,” Poe mumbled, still half asleep but trying his best.

 

    Rey relaxed into his embrace, weaving her hands together with his over her stomach now and taking a deep breath to calm herself more. He held her like that in silence for a few moments, humming a tune that she still didn’t know the words too despite it becoming one of the most comforting sounds over the years. When her heart rate slowed, Poe seemed to sense she had calmed, pressing a kiss to her cheek before taking a deep breath himself.

 

    “What was it about this time?” Poe asked.

 

    “It was just...darkness,” Rey said, “like a shadow just following me, watching me. It wanted to take something from me.”

 

    “It can’t hurt you here,” Poe said, assuring her.

 

    “I know, but I just felt it coming for me like it knows where I am,” Rey said.

 

    “First thing in the morning, we’re getting this all over with the Senate and then we’re going home,” Poe said, “you know I won’t let anything happen to you, right?”

 

    “Of course, I know, but this _thing_ \- “

 

    “Don’t worry about it,” Poe said, Rey knew he was trying to calm her down like always, but something was different.

 

    “I don’t know if anyone can be protected from this...you didn’t feel what I felt,” Rey said.

 

    Poe was silent, she felt his stubbled chin rest on her shoulder as he took a deep breath, trying to draw her close to him. She relied on him for comfort and security so much, she sometimes forgot that she was the same for him. He protected her as best as he could, but Rey knew he couldn’t protect her from everything no matter how he tried.

 

    “We’ll be fine,” Poe said, “we’ll go home and it’ll be okay.”

 

    Ever since the war against the First Order ended, all Poe wanted was peace; he joined the Senate to help achieve that. But Rey had felt the darkness still lingering in the background ever since the Order fell. It didn’t stop when Snoke died or Ben renounced his ways to help the Resistance kill him, if anything, it grew after that. It was easy to forget about over the years, and Poe was part of what made her forget it, building this life with him and starting this family. She didn’t want to think there was something still out there that could tear this all from her, but from the strength, she felt tonight, she knew it was a possibility, no matter how much she or Poe wished it away.

 

    “Come on, let’s get back to sleep, we’ve got a long day tomorrow,” Poe said with a yawn, giving her a light kiss before pressing a quick kiss to her belly and lying back down.

 

    Rey laid down beside him, letting him pull her close and steal a few more kisses from her before finally falling asleep. Rey let her hands tangle through his hair, her eyes flitting over his peaceful face, memorizing every line and scar that she’d become so familiar with over the years. She loved Poe, there was no doubt about that, he gave her everything she dreamed of having during her exile on Jakku - love, security, safety, a family. But Rey knew what she felt despite him wanting to deny it, she knew that darkness was a threat, and it was coming for everyone.

  


* * *

 

 

    Ben didn’t sleep, not anymore, at least if he could help it. Sleeping led to too many things - too much time to think about what he’d done, too many opportunities for things within the Force to reach out to him. Staying awake was better for everyone involved, especially with the recent nightmares still plaguing his thoughts.

 

    Rey had too many things going on in her life to be able to see what he saw with a clear and level head between the Senate, her marriage, and his niece to enter the world soon. All he saw whether his eyes were opened or closed was the dark, shadowy mass with piercing yellow eyes, fear rippling down his spine whenever he thought about it. It was unlike anything he’d ever experienced before, something that could have just as easily seduced him to the dark side when he was still just a bitter child. It called to him when he first saw it, he remembered that much, but now all it wanted was to consume everything in its path, wiping all traces of light away no matter how small it might have been.

 

    The only comforting thought he could hold onto was knowing that Rey still had his lightsaber hidden away. It was best if everyone thought it was long destroyed, he’d taken so many lives with that lightsaber, he wasn’t sure he ever wanted to see it again himself. But with the Senate trying to cower in fear and control what could never truly be controlled, he knew at least Rey could protect herself - he owed her that much after everything he put her through.

 

    The loud alarms ringing off in the distance alerted Ben to the guards heading his way, more than likely making their last rounds for the night, they were long overdue for their evening gawking. It didn’t take long for the alarm on his door to go off as well, indicating they were going to enter, guns pointed at him and kept on him at all times while they searched his cell. But the guns never came, and neither did the guards. Instead, a cloaked figure entered the room, keeping their face shrouded in darkness as the door slowly closed behind them.

 

    “You’re new,” Ben remarked, keeping his eyes on the figure though he never made a move from his seat on his bed.

 

    “Far from it, Solo,” a scratchy voice replied, followed by a laugh.

 

    “Who are you?” Ben asked, trying to keep the fear rising up in him under control.

 

    A chill ran up his spine and the air in the room started to feel heavy and harder to breathe. The figure slowly turned towards him and all Ben saw through the darkness it cast under its hood was two piercing yellow eyes, his breath hitching in his throat at the sight. He wanted to speak, but his words were lost; he wanted to move, but his body refused as something held him in place. The cloaked figure quickly closed the distance between them, though Ben could still only see those two yellow eyes.

 

    “I’m someone who’s watched you for a very long time. You showed promise, once, but like the rest of your family, you’ve only left me disappointed. You Skywalkers aren’t worthy of the air you breath, much less the power the Force has given you,” the voice hissed, “I’m here to correct that.”

 

    A sharp pain coursed through Ben, something painful enough to finally let him make a sound, his anguished scream filling the silence though it was far from over. When the figure finally raised a gloved hand, it felt like a thousand lightsabers were twisting around his insides, tearing everything apart.

 

    “You don’t deserve this power,” the figure said, “you don’t even deserve to draw breath.”

 

    They twisted their hand and the pain only grew worse, it felt as if his bones were going to shatter, his muscles on fire and head splitting with pain while he continued to cry out. With a flick of their wrist, everything stopped, but for the first time in years, everything was silent within his mind - he felt nothing.

 

    “Goodbye, Ben Solo,” the figure said.

 

    Their words were the last thing he heard before his vision grew dark despite how much he fought against it, he didn't have the strength to keep his eyes open. He tumbled off of the bed and onto the floor, everything already dark, and not even a whisper of anything through the Force. It was as if the Force was gone, ripped from his very body, and Ben wasn’t sure which was more terrifying - the figure who took it from him, or the fact of that it was gone. He fought only a little while longer before the cold overtook him and everything melted away.

 

* * *

 

  


    There were few things Rey loved better in the morning than waking up to Poe - him holding her close and pressing kiss after kiss to her cheek. She turned to her side, still in his embrace, and started kissing him, her lips finding his in an instant after years of familiarity. Rey hummed into their kiss, she felt like she hadn’t seen Poe like this in weeks with all the stress from the Senate, she missed him more than she knew or could put into words despite him still at her side.

 

    “Excuse me, Master Poe,” the familiar interruption of C-3PO barged into the room, unfazed by the two of them, despite Rey pulling away from Poe quickly.

 

    Poe sat up in bed with a heavy sigh, irritated slightly by the droid’s interruption. Though after years of having C-3PO at his side, they were both used to the protocol droid. “Yes, Threepio?”

 

    “Master Luke is here,” Threepio announced.

 

    The cheerful beeps of BB-8 rolling into the room shortly followed behind Threepio,  the little droid nudging the bed by Poe’s feet dangling off the edge.

 

    “Thanks, Threepio,” Poe said, “I’ll be out there in a minute.”

 

    “Of course, sir,” Threepio gave a slight nod before shuffling out of the room, “come along Beebee-Ate!”

 

    With a few short beeps to signal he was leaving, BB-8 rolled out of the room before Threepio shut the door, giving Poe and Rey their privacy back, though Poe was already up on his feet and trying to get dressed.

 

    “I feel like no matter how many times I try to ask him about giving us privacy when the doors are closed, he still barges in any way,” Poe said.

 

    “I think it’s in his programming at this point,” Rey said with a slight laugh, “he’s getting better about it though I’ve noticed. It seems like when it’s Luke or someone from the Senate is the only time he interrupts.”

 

    “Yeah, but out here it’s always someone from the Senate or Luke,” Poe said, “I really can’t wait to get home.”

 

    “Me either, and hopefully your daughter will let me get a good night of sleep tonight,” Rey said, her hands going to her stomach, “After I woke up in the middle of the night, she kept me up for another hour with all the kicking.”

 

    “...Our daughter?” Poe asked, putting aside the shirt he was about to shrug on and staring at her with a smile slowly starting to cross his face, “You found out?”

 

    Rey knew she couldn’t tell him that it was Ben who actually discovered this and told her, after last night's nightmare, the last thing she wanted was for him to worry more about her.

 

    “Yeah, while I was out for my walk. I stopped and took a moment to just relax and I could finally sense it. I guess I’ve been too wound up this entire time to tell,” Rey said with a shrug, trying to avoid his gaze so he couldn’t catch her in the lie.

 

    She got to her feet slowly, stopping when she felt a slight dizziness make her wobble. Poe made it across the room to her in a few quick strides and wrapped his arm around her waist to keep her steady.

 

    “I’ve got you,” He assured her, smile still on his face.

 

    “I know you do,” Rey replied, “you always do.”

 

    His lips covered hers in an instant, the smile on her face now making it hard to kiss him back, though perhaps that was a good thing since it’d only be a matter of time before C-3PO returned. After a moment, Rey pulled away, knowing the out of the two of them, Poe was the one with a lack of impulse control and would gladly stay in here all day with her rather than do anything else.

 

    “We can pick this up later at home when there are no more interruptions and Threepio has occupied himself with reprogramming the field droids to have the ‘optimal performance’ for the third time this year,” Rey said, trying to fight back the laughter.

 

    “Yeah, you’re right,” Poe agreed with a hint of reluctance, “let’s just get all of this over with and go home.”

  
  


* * *

 

  


    Rey clutched the lightsaber tightly in her hands, trying to fight the urge to stay outside of the Senate room and keep it by her side. She’d grown attached to it, despite her troubled past with it, the lightsaber was part of her family history and now she had to just hand it over like it meant nothing. She knew she still had Ben’s old lightsaber tucked away in her luggage that was being loaded onto the Falcon now by Chewie, but this was the lightsaber that helped win the war, and Force only knows what the Senate would do with it.

 

    “I don’t want to give this up,” Jade said, walking up to Rey with a conflicted look on her face; Jade always wanted to do the right thing, more so than Rey half the time, “they don’t have the right to take these away from us.”

 

    “Try telling them that,” Rey huffed, she could hear the faint mumbling behind the doors and feel the stress from Poe radiating through them - he wanted to get this over with just as badly as she did.

 

    Jade’s lightsaber had been an amber-gold, almost matching the color of her eyes at times, and something Luke had said he hadn’t seen in years. Rey often wondered what hers would be, had she made one herself like Jade, with having to turn hers over, she just might try in her free time before the baby was born. There was Ben’s of course, but Rey preferred to save that as a last resort - too much pain radiated from it every time she activated it.

 

    “Are you sure you want me to go with Luke? I feel bad leaving you alone on Yavin 4,” Jade said.

 

    “I can handle myself,” Rey said, “besides, Luke can teach you more than I can, especially right now when all I feel like doing is either sleeping or crying. You couldn’t ask for a better teacher.”

 

    “I mean, I already had a pretty damn good one, but I suppose he’ll do,” Jade said with a smirk, stifling a small laugh and Rey having to do the same.

 

    “Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear, oh dear,” The familiar voice of C-3PO echoed through the halls, Rey could hear him shuffling just as quickly as he could with BB-8 zooming around the corner and stopping short at Rey’s feet.

 

    “Beebee-Ate, what’s wrong with Threepio?” Rey asked.

 

    Beebee-Ate beeped rapidly, too fast for Rey to understand half of what he said, Jade looking even more confused than Rey, despite her own proficiency in droid-speak.

 

    “Slow down Beebee-Ate, what’s wrong?” Rey asked again.

 

    “Oh dear me, this is terrible, terrible news Mistress Rey, just terrible,” Threepio carried on, finally reaching her.

 

    “Please tell me what’s wrong,” Rey said, feeling some anxiety build up in her now, the feeling of dread looming over her.

 

    “It’s Master Ben, something terrible has happened to him,” Threepio said, Beebee-Ate rolling past Rey now and barging into the Senate room, she could hear his faint beeping on the other side as he alerted the others.

 

    “Threepio, please, what happened?” Rey asked, her eyes welling up with tears while the fear crept up her spine; she saw Ben last night, but that terrible nightmare...she should have known something would happen.

 

    “Master Ben won’t wake up, the guards found him a few moments ago and they’ve rushed him into intensive care, he was barely breathing when they found him, no one knows what’s wrong,” Threepio said.

 

    Rey didn’t think, she just ran as fast as she could, her heart racing as a thousand thoughts raced through her mind. She heard everyone call out to her, she knew Poe’s voice was among them now that the Senate doors burst open, but she had to get to Ben. No matter what anyone said, no matter what people believed, and no matter all the things he had done - he was her brother, part of the small family she had left in this galaxy, and she’d do anything to save him.

 

**Author's Note:**

> EDIT: so you guys know and aren’t surprised when I update with the new chapter, I’ve reverted back to my Rey Solo ways and made some small edits in the story to be able to portray Rey as Han & Leia’s daughter/Ben’s sister rather than her being Luke’s daughter. I was going to try something different, but I just love the family dynamic so much and I couldn’t help myself (plus I literally just showed the trailer to my family and they were like “She’s got to be Han & Leia’s daughter”) so I took it as a sign to change this fic a bit! I hope you guys still enjoy it and thanks so much for reading!! <3


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